Constructed from the ground by ancient civilizations, earthworks are fascinating and alluring. Ohio is home to several significant earthworks, each offering insight into the Native Americans who created them. Perhaps the most unique of all is the aptly-named Serpent Mound. This serpent-shaped earthwork can be found in southern Ohio and some believe it dates back to 300 BCE. To visit this fascinating site is to experience a prehistoric destination that continues to baffle archeologists to this day.
Few people realize that Ohio is home to the world's largest surviving effigy mound.
An effigy mound is defined as a raised pile of earth in the shape of an animal or symbol. This serpentine earthwork is truly remarkable in its size and history.
When you visit the 1,348-foot-long Serpent Mound, located in Peebles, you'll see just how appropriate the name is. The large earthwork represents a giant serpent with seven winding coils.
Interestingly, the landmark is located on the site of an ancient meteor impact that happened 300 million years ago. While this site has been studied by historians and archeologists, the purpose of the earthwork remains unknown.
Some experts believe that Serpent Mound served a religious or spiritual purpose while others think it may have been useful for the burial site, despite the fact that there are no gravesites nearby.
Another fascinating characteristic of the earthwork is that the head of the serpent aligns with the summer solstice sunset while the tail aligns with the winter solstice sunrise.
Experts have wondered, then, if ancient people may have used the serpent to keep track of the seasons. Excavation efforts that took place starting in the 19th century have attributed the mound to one of two groups: the Early Woodland Adena culture or the Late Prehistoric Fort Ancient culture.
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The earthwork may remain a mystery, but there's no denying its beauty or allure. If you have the chance to visit, you absolutely should!
Have you ever visited the Serpent Mound? What were your thoughts on this fascinating earthwork in Ohio? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below -- we would love to hear from you! For related content, check out these 9 additional earthworks in Ohio that will transport you back in time.
Rumor Has It the Ohio State Reformatory Is One of the Most Haunted Places in the US
Known for its role in "The Shawshank Redemption," there's so much more to discover at the Ohio State Reformatory... including paranormal activity and ghost sightings.
When I was six years old, I had my first ghost encounter. Ironically, this happened at my church.
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My mom was very active in our church and this meant many evenings tagging along while she worked on various committees and projects. I loved wandering the halls when it was so quiet, sneaking into offices and wandering down the pews in the pulpit and choir loft. It felt like my very own secret playground.
That is, until the night I encountered what I later learned to be the church ghost.
I was in a hallway bathroom -- a small space with two stalls and an adjoining room where choir members often changed. I had just sat down when the toilet next to me flushed. There was no one else there, so I bravely said Hello?
After a pregnant pause, the toilet flushed again. I've never hightailed it out of a place as quickly as I did on that fateful evening. I ran into the room where my mom was; she was with a fellow church member prepping for the fall rummage sale. When I explained what had happened, that fellow church member replied, "Oh, yes, that's the church ghost. She's friendly."
She went on to explain that, a hundred years ago when the church had just been built along what was then a one-lane road, there was a head-on collision between two cars. The driver of the first car died instantly, as did the driver of the other car -- but he wasn't alone. His wife was also in the car, gravely injured but able to crawl out of the vehicle and make her way into the church pulpit, where she peacefully passed away.
Today, explained my mom's friend, the ghost roamed the halls of our church but was friendly; she often played with lights and, yes, plumbing, gently reminding folks that she was there.
She may have been friendly, but that was the last time I roamed the halls of my church alone. I never went to the bathroom alone, either... the idea of a paranormal presence really freaked me out. This experience has stuck with me over the years, keeping me far, far away from anywhere even remotely haunted. Like, say, the Ohio State Reformatory.
Whether you live in Ohio or not, you're probably familiar with the Ohio State Reformatory. Not only did this former reformatory play a key role in "The Shawshank Redemption," but it's also considered to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S.
I've lived in Ohio most of my life but had never visited this iconic institution until recently. But on a recent weekend in early fall, just as the leaves were beginning to change and the air carried that faint smell of backyard bonfires, I left my cozy corner of southwest Ohio and headed east to see this mysterious, manmade marvel in person. I wasn't prepared for just how uncanny and, yes, haunting, the Ohio State Reformatory is in person.
Welcome to Only In Your State’s newest series, Rumor Has It, where we celebrate the local rumors – fact and fiction – that make America unique.
Also known as the Mansfield Reformatory or simply the Ohio Reformatory, the Ohio State Reformatory opened in 1886 and is nearly 130 years old.
Sarah McCosham/Only In Your State
This prison closed in 1990 and during its 100+ year tenure, 154,000 inmates called the Ohio State Reformatory home. Among its many claims to fame, the reformatory is home to the world’s tallest freestanding steel cell block: six tiers, 12 ranges, and 600 cells. A reformatory cell would have contained a desk, a stool, two footlockers, and two bunk beds, ephemera that can be viewed during a tour (more on that in a bit).
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First, the layout: you might notice that cells in the West Cell Block are slightly larger than cells in the East Cell Block; both eventually housed two inmates each due to overcrowding. Something you'll notice, as I did, is how much smaller the reformatory is in person. Don't get me wrong – it's a striking structure that certainly commands respect – but in person, the halls are tight and cells impossibly small. It's very difficult to imagine thousands of folks calling this place "home" at any given time.
The smallness of this space makes it all the more terrifying.
Sarah McCosham/Only In Your State
The reformatory was especially overcrowded in the 1920s (hello, Prohibition), and space became even tighter in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The highest committed crimes of inmates at the reformatory during this time period were robbery, burglary, larceny, and car theft. The average annual population in 1934 was 3,500 men; the prison was originally built to house 2,000 inmates, max.
Fitting so many men in a single area created a pressure cooker kind of situation, fueling tensions and sparking fights that ultimately led to inmate deaths. Violent, tortured deaths. The most infamous tale of the prison involves "the hole," a small cell wherein prisoners were held for three days as punishment. Several sources have reported that at one time, there were two inmates held in "the hole" – and by the end of the three days, one did not make it out alive.
Sarah McCosham/Only In Your State
Given its sordid history, it's no surprise the reformatory has captured the imaginations of many, including Hollywood. "The Shawshank Redemption" was famously filmed here, and Steven King's story couldn't have had a more appropriate setting.
Fast-forward to the 1980s, when these inhumane conditions finally forced the closure of the Ohio State Reformatory; remaining prisoners were moved to the nearby Mansfield Correctional Institution. Due to its age and crumbling condition, the future of the Ohio State Reformatory was uncertain, but in 1995, the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed, opening the doors of this former prison to the public.
Today, film fans can explore the reformatory on a tour – guide-led or self-guided – and visit the official Shawshank Museum. The museum boasts five rooms of props, costumes, set pieces, and other treasures from the film: the safe in Warden Norton’s office, Red’s Parole Board room, Andy’s escape tunnels, and more. My film-loving partner was a big fan of the museum... I, however, found myself ruminating on the past.
Sarah McCosham/Only In Your State
Wandering through the halls and peeking into the cells was an unsettling experience. Having seen "The Shawshank Redemption," I was familiar with the building's layout, but the "mood" of the Ohio State Reformatory is something entirely different. If you're like me and you have an overactive imagination, be prepared to have your thoughts running amok and your mind playing tricks with you...
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What was that noise?
Did that light just flicker?
Were those footsteps behind me?
This brings me to why: Why visit the Ohio State Reformatory?
As with all of the adventures we share on Only In Your State, the experience is the why. We can describe a beautiful canyon or historic site, but there's only so much words and photos can convey. The feeling – that deep-in-your-bones, hair-raising unease – of a place like the Ohio State Reformatory; it's an experience.
Once upon a time, Thomas Jefferson made archaeological history when he excavated a burial mound. While it caused tension with the indigenous peoples in the area, it proved to European Americans that these massive hills were, indeed, burial sites. Today, burial-purpose earthworks in the United States are protected by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), but this wasn't always the case. In fact, Cleveland was once purportedly covered in burial mounds, but these features are unfortunately long-gone. While our nation's history with indigenous burial mounds is dotted with missteps, Ohio has done an excellent job of protecting many of its archaeological treasures. We're home to many fascinating ancient features, but one mound in Miamisburg is especially notable. This place is worth a visit, so you might consider grabbing an Airbnb for the night if you're not close to Miamisburg.
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Towering 65 feet over the landscape and covering a circumference of 800 feet, the Miamisburg Mound is a true archaeological wonder. This beauty, first excavated in 1869 and preserved in 1920, is the largest burial mound in the Eastern United States.
mikroman6/Moment via Getty Images
This massive structure contains a whopping 54,000 cubic yards of earth, plus a supposed several generations of ancient Ohioans. While there haven't been any excavations to reveal the total number of burials here (and there won't, now that NAGPRA has protected it from further prodding), the 1869 excavation revealed that the mound was likely built in several stages. Its construction can be traced back to the Adena culture, which flourished in the area from 800 B.C.E. to 100 C.E.
Interestingly, the conical structure of the local mound also mimics the shape of round houses with conical roofs that were characteristic of Adena settlements. While mounds were most likely just the most convenient way to bury the Adena's dearly departed, there's something comforting about the thought that ancient dead were interred in something that looked like a permanent home.
Ted/Flickr
Interestingly, the preservation of this gorgeous site is owed to one famous Ohioan. Charles F. Kettering, an Ohio-born inventor and engineer best known for his hand in shaping the modern car, turned the mound into a public park in 1920. He turned over the keys to the Ohio Historical Society in 1929 to ensure its ongoing preservation. The Civilian Conservation Corps added stone steps to the site in the 1930s to make it even more of a public attraction. Circa five decades after its designation as a park, in 1971, the mound was finally added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the mound is the crown jewel of the 37-acre Miamisburg Mound Park.
Ted/Flickr
Visiting this site is a true treat. In addition to preserving a fascinating (and, unfortunately, often destroyed) piece of American history, it also offers an opportunity to reflect on the Ohioans that came before us. This spot is a cemetery, after all, and one where we'll never know the names of the local decedents. However, they're the ancestors of the indigenous people that populated the Northwest Territory when American settlers were first arriving. These ancient peoples shaped and loved the land circa 3,000 years before the moment we got to stand before their enduring handiwork. This spot is a true monument to humanity!
Love local history? You'll also enjoy a trip to the Great Serpent Mound, the largest serpent effigy in the world and a real Ohio treasure.
